Classifying Spinor Structures

dc.creatorMorrison, Scott
dc.date2001-06-10
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T04:28:30Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T04:28:30Z
dc.descriptionI begin by explaining how Riemannian geometry can be understood in terms of principal fibre bundles and connections thereon. I then introduce and motivate the definition of a spinor structure in terms of familiar geometrical ideas. The central result of this thesis is a complete and constructive classification of spinor structures, generalising some earlier results. I will explain how principal fibre bundles and covering spaces provide the key ingredients to the proof. A different type of classification can also be attempted, in terms of the underlying principal fibre bundle, and this allows us to compare `spinor connections'. The final part indicates how spinor structures for Lorentzian manifolds provide the natural setting for the `spinor calculus', and so for the Dirac equation for the electron. The effect of the choice of spinor structure on the Dirac equation is investigated.
dc.descriptionSubmitted as a thesis for consideration in the degree of Bachelor of Science with honours in Pure Mathematics at the University of New South Wales, Australia; 95 pages
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/math-ph/0106007
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/math-ph/0106007
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/56810
dc.subjectMathematical Physics
dc.subjectDifferential Geometry
dc.subject53C10; 53C27; 83C60
dc.titleClassifying Spinor Structures
dc.typetext

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